While most people have already said Kiddush Levana for this month (Iyar) there are those who, for various reasons, were unable to do so and are wondering if it is still possible to do so.

According to the Gemara (Sanhedrin 42) the brocha on the new moon can only be said כשלבנה בחידושה when the moon is “new”, which means until it starts to get “smaller” at which time it is called an “old” moon.

The final time for saying Kiddush Levana is (seemingly) a machlokes between the Mechaber and the Rema. The Mechaber (Siman 626 se’if gimmel) says that you can say until “the 16^th” i.e. the last time is the night of the 15^th. This is explained in the meforshim that the time is 15 “full days” from the Molad. The Rema however writes that one can only say until “half of the month”. Since a month is (approx) 29 days 12 hours and 44 minutes then “half” would be 14 days 18 hours and 22 minutes (approx.). From this we see about a 5 and a half hour difference between the Mechaber and the Rema.

For the month of Iyar 5782 the molad was Sunday morning 5:20 and 1 chelek. Converting that to local time it was Motzoei Shabbos 10:59 pm. (The time announced does not take into account Daylight Saving Time and also there is a 21 minute “adjustment” that needs to be made.) Based on that, the last time for Kiddush Levana according to the Mechaber is Sunday night (tonight) at 10:59 pm. According to the Rema it is until 6:21 pm. This means that according to the Rema the last time to say was Motzoei Shabbos, and since we (b’nei Ashkenaz) follow the Rema then tonight would not be a time to say Kiddush Levana.

However, in the Bi’ur Halacha (siman 626) he brings down that there are those who hold that until the 16^th of the month it can be said. He quotes the מור וקציעה (R’ Yaakov Emden) and so to the ישועות יעקב and others. He seems to hold that בשעת הדחק they can be relied upon to make a ברכה on Kiddush Levana until 15 full days from the Molad. (There is also שיטת חתם סופר who holds that you can say until 18 hours after the middle of the month.)

In the Dirshu Mishna B’rura it says that based on the Mateh Ephraim (סי’ תקפ”ב) that you can say tonight. Also in ספר חג בחג על קידוש לבנה he says that definitely on can say if he was unable to do so beforehand.

The Lunar Eclipse and Kiddush Levana

Tonight in our area there will be a Total Lunar Eclipse, known as a “Blood Moon” and also a “Super Moon”.

A total lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth comes between the Sun and the moon and the latter falls within umbra, the darkest part of Earth’s shadow. There are different types of lunar eclipses including penumbral lunar eclipse, partial lunar eclipse and a relatively rare central lunar eclipse.

Total lunar eclipse is also known as blood moon due to its reddish appearance. This happens as the red wavelengths of the sunlight filter through Earth’s atmosphere onto the moon’s surface. This full moon is also being called supermoon because of its slightly bigger appearance as it will be at its closest point to Earth in its orbit.

What is נוגע to Kiddush Levana is as follows. It is understood that a lunar eclipse happens at exactly the middle of the lunar month. Therefore there is a question mentioned in the Poskim if there is a Lunar Eclipse but according to our calculations there is still time until the middle of the month, can we say Kiddush Levana afterwards. In other words, our calculation for the Molad are based on a constant number of 29 days 12 hours and 44 minutes (approx.) between one month to the next. However this is only an “average” and the actual molad fluctuates. Therefore what we say is the “middle of the month” may not be correct according to the actual astronomical calculations. So if there is an eclipse, which can ONLY happen in the exact middle of the month, would seem to say that the time for Kiddush Levana has ended at that time. And so hold many Poskim.

In our case, it is just the opposite. While according to our calculations it is after the middle of the month, we see that the eclipse is happening later and would seem to say that it is not yet the middle and therefore Kiddush Levana can still be said.

Based on this, as an added סניף to what we wrote above from the Poskim who said that בשעת הדחק you can say until after 15 full days, it would seem that tonight you can STILL say Kiddush Levana (until 10:59 pm).

As it looks right now the moon will be visible from 9:00 until 10:30 and the earlier you say the better it will look.